Sunday, December 30, 2012

From what I'm hearing, everyone is busy taking down their Christmas and returning to normal.

BUT NOT US!

It goes up in May and comes down in February.

Okay, we aren't that insane. See we could actually be much worse!

But we can't take our stuff down yet, because we are still celebrating.

This time with our family that represents, Pure Michigan.

And there are certainly no complaints from the smallest members of the family.

The more celebrating the better!

We waited to give the kids their stockings until we celebrated with Meemaw and Grandpa.

And they seemed thrilled.

Seriously, they really were thrilled.

Of course, thrilled to receive more stuff

But also to see their Meemaw

And Grandpa.

So, we settled in for our Christmas together on Saturday morning.

Lots of giving. Lots of receiving.

And then Paul received an extra special present.

I haven't mentioned this on my blog yet, but my mother-in-law has written a book about Paul's life that is set to be published February or March. We helped quite a bit with timeline information and stuff, so it's been a joint project, and as a surprise she had the cover of the book framed for him. Very sweet.

Evidence of a good time, a messy living room!

And then taking a cue from my mom, I set the table for us to enjoy a nice lunch.

Friday, December 28, 2012

You know how it took Noah a super-long time to build the Ark? Well, my parents came in a close second to ol' Noah, when they built their house. But in the end, I would say it was worth the time, because it is a beautiful home.

And if you've been around here very long, you've seen many pictures of their house.

And with their permission of course, I thought I'd show you around a little more, just so you can understand something....

Their house was actually built using the same floor plan as John Jay, the first Supreme Court Justice.

You see, my mom is obsessed with Williamsburg and Colonial America, and the home totally reflects that style.

It has many details throughout

But everything feels Colonial.

That is, until you go downstairs.

Behind these doors, lurks a secret.

Okay, it's not a secret, but it sounds good.

Behind these doors, definitely lurks something Mr. John Jay, didn't have in his home! Oh no, behind these doors, it's all DaddyMac.

You are greeted by a virtual Apple nightclub. A neon Apple, that of course represents, THE APPLE, and some fiber optic lights that change colors, I'm serious, it's a club for a few minutes.

But as you look around, you see just how passionate my dad is about all Apple products. It's no joke.

Multiple Apple machines.

And then of course, his Bull and Bear market wall mural. That's his other passion, the market!

I've always known dad to be passionate about Mac/Apple stuff, but not until adulthood did I understand how much so. When he started to include me in his "Macgroup emails" and sign off as "DaddyMac" I knew this went beyond like. (Which BTW, I understand about every third word in those Macgroup emails. Chinese to me.)

And then when they built their home, and he created his office, he had a chance to show just who he is.

Modern, and definitely not Williamsbug-ish!

You do see reminders of the family around

But mainly you see his creative spirit and knowledge for all things Apple!

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Now you know while I was in Indiana, I saw my gurls! That's just a given!

Jami and I, continued our Christmas Eve tradition of taking the kids to McDonald's for breakfast. Each year, our group gets smaller. I told Jami, next year it will probably just be me sitting there alone. But for now, we still represent!

Kids were beginning to get rowdy, so James suggested we go to her place to play for a while. Good call, James!

And while there, the kids took rowdy to a whole different level, and we just sat back in watched in horror. I even got to witness a Cameron-level tantrum, and trust me, they are epic! But he's cute, so I enjoyed it! Fun times.

And of course, I had to spend some time with T! For the most obvious reason, because she's awesome, and because we had to exchange our Christmas gifts.

We were super ghetto this year, and got each other matching wallets. So, basically, we bought our own gifts. Yeah, we're awesome.

But let me tell you, this wallet, well, it's made me determined.

Determined to get myself organized!

I have lots of great qualities, but organization is not one of them. I'm what some might refer to as, scatter-brained. But I like to just think as myself as FUN! I'm always too busy, going and doing, and having fun to make organization a priority.

And yeah, I'm scatter-brianed too.

And when one is naturally scatter-brained, things like their wallets take a hit.

MOM LOOK AWAY.

Actually, my mom did see it, and I'm sure she blacked out for a couple seconds. Once she came to, she began to tell me how to, GET IT TOGETHER. She gave me lots of tips, and I'm determined to keep it together.

Look at it now! HOLLA!

And my mom set me up with ideas like these. Yes, people, 2013 is my year! I WILL BE ORGANIZED!